First, when hit with a tsunami of objections, slow things down, especially when facing a group. Part of the power of the gauntlet is its ability to disorient and confuse, so take a moment to collect your thoughts. I’ve sometimes said, “Wow. There’s a lot there. Give me a moment to take it all in.” Do the same when reading or watching. Don’t panic. Instead, take a deep breath, pause, then ponder.
Running the gauntlet is no fun. Historically, it was a military punishment. Offenders were forced to run between two lines of soldiers who would beat them with sticks. Like I said, not a party.
Sometimes, though, you’ll have to run a gauntlet of sorts, too. Occasionally you’ll be battered by a barrage of challenges coming at you in rapid-fire succession—sometimes from an individual and sometimes from a group ganging up on you with each one delivering his own broadside at your convictions.
Steamroller types—critics who constantly interrupt, piling objections on top of objections—are clear offenders here, and in Tactics I offer a precise strategy to manage their interruptions. Many who make you run the gauntlet, though, are not malicious—the contenders aren’t necessarily rude or looking to draw rhetorical blood—but the sheer number of their challenges can still be overpowering.
You’ll confront the gauntlet in face-to-face encounters with others, but you’ll also confront it in print or on webcasts, in something you’re reading or watching.
Here’s one example from an internet interview of Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers by IndyCar racing icon Danica Patrick. Rodgers had a seemingly rich religious life growing up as a Christian, but then his concerns about Christianity led him in a different spiritual direction.
